1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style

I once found this "poem" on the scrapbooking forum that I visit. Last year I came to realize that it was written by Sharon Jaynes, a lovely lady who I met at a conference in Portage last fall. It came into my inbox again this year, and I think it's worth sharing. It's so easy to be busy with the cooking, decorating and shopping that we forget the reason we're doing it in the first place.


"And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (I Cor 13:13 NIV)

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style
By Sharon Jaynes

If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and corcheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of your way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving in those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

A Funny!

I took the kids to Portage yesterday to shop for shoeboxes. Our first stop was Canadian Tire. The kids were not into the groove of shopping right off the bat and so I needed to remind them a number of times to "get out of the way", "move the cart", "move a little faster"...in other words my patience was running low. At the checkout Dexter wasn't moving the cart the way I wanted, and I have no clue what I said to him, but I think I basically moved the cart myself, taking it away from him. As we were standing in line waiting, the guy in front of me said something to me that sounded like "be nice to your brother", and so I said "pardon me?", and he tells me again, "you should be nice to your brother". I laughed. The guy was maybe 65ish, and I couldn't believe that he would think that Dexter was my little brother. We had a good laugh about it in the van. Though it might no have been that funny had he told me to be nice to my kid...and it wasn't like I was being a mean mother! He just didn't want the sister bullying her brother, I guess! Raquel had gone to look for Jeziah somewhere else in the store, so he never saw the other 2 kids with me. Just about as bad as the time when we went to pick up Henry at a Richie Brother Sale and the security guy thought Raquel was the mother in the backseat! I seriously think that guy needed his eyesight checked.

July Family Campout

We did our annual week long campout at Spruce Woods in mid July. It was one of the few nice weeks we had all summer, and so it was great to be able to enjoy that at the campground!

Henry & I did a hike after supper one night. Great way to get rid a few of the calories!

The cousins hanging out at the beach. They weren't as thrilled about the beach as they have been in the past. Not sure if they're growing out of playing on the beach or it was just an off week.

The oldest and youngest cousins hanging out!

Aunt Verna and her family joined us for the weekend. We appreciate to be able to stay connected with them even though Uncle Rudy is no longer with them. Potluck supper means lots of good food!

This is what I love about camping...just relaxing and enjoying the summer!

July Photoshoot

One Sunday evening we headed out to a local canola field to take some pictures. The kids were actually in the mood for taking pictures, which always makes it a lot more fun, and more goofy pictures! The family pictures were all done with self timer!

The goofy brothers! This picture may come to haunt them someday:)

Having lot's of fun!

Raquel is a little more relaxed than her brothers!

Jeziah has lots of fun, and when he gets laughing, it is very hard for him to stop. His giggling is very contagious, and he soon has everyone laughing!

"Can we do silly shots?"

A rare serious shot!

The kids wanted to do a silly family shot. I love how this one turned out with the self timer!

These glasses are from watching a 3D movie, and Jeziah loved them. Reminds of Steve Erkel (however that is spelled) from back in the day! Suits him!

creative creations

Thought I'd share some creative creations that Raquel & I came up with a while ago!

Mannonite Kvashtins

I believe this originally comes from Facebook, but had a friend give this to me a while back. Been trying to clean up my office and wasn't sure where to file it, so I thought I'd file it on the blog! Thought I'd answer the questions while I was at it:)

In an affert to gat to know my Mannonite friends a little bit batter I taught I vould ask you some kvashtins about your life. I have here 25 kvashtins, val, maybe more but whose counting? Besaides naumbers gives me da creeps, dat government vit all it's naumbers schtoff, it's just a scam to make us more veltlich I tink.
Anyvase, put on your tinking cap, under da kerchief of course, and answer these tings for me okay?

* Do you own da most basic necessities like a knipsbrat, a picnic table and a lawn swing?
NO!

*Do you prefer compst borch or somma borcht?
That's a tough one...can't say I prefer one over the other...love them both!

*Is one of more of your relatives a "minister"?
Yes!

* Do you have aunts and uncles your age?
I don't, but Raquel has an uncle only 3 years and 9 months older than her (same age gap as between Dexter & Jeziah)!

*How many kinds of sweets and jam do you have for Sunday faspa?
It varies...but yesterday it was 3 kinds of sweets and 2 kinds of jam.

*Who do you think makes da best pickles ever?
me:)

* How long does it take you after meeting another Mannonite before you start to wonder if you could anyhows yet be related?
I think I often try to connect someone to another person I might know. I think it's cool to meet someone who knows someone you know in a far away place...that's what makes this a small world!

* Have you uttered the phrase "fon vaut sorte Pannasch bast du?"
No, but I'm sure my dad has as his mother was a Penner.

* Did you visit relatives in Alberta on your honeymoon?
Nope!

* Do you have partzeltye every day for the entire first week of the new year?
No, I'm just thrilled if I even get it once!

* Is your idea of keeping up with the "Jaunsis" having a bigger garden dan dem?
No competition there!

* Do you know exactly which spots in Manitoba have the best potatoe soil ever?
Probably not!

* Did you milk a cow when you were a kid?
I think I tried...I did grow up on a dairy farm for a few years of my life.

* Does it take you at least 3 settings to feed everyone at a family gathering?
Not anymore...but I remember a time when it did. Men first, then children, then women...whoever came up with that idea?

* Does it make your week gaunz till naxt Saunday when someone compliments your buns?
Can't say it does...

* Did you celebrate your 18th birthday by starting to listen to funeral announcements instead of Aunt Ollie on CFAM?
Have never been into either

* Did you think Stu Clayton was about as hot as they come?
Who's Stu Clayton?

* What did your parents treasure more, their Locust and Wild Honey Plautdietsch records or their Teichroebs book?
Definietly Locust & Wild Honey...would love to hear one of those again!

* Do you have more friendshauft in Mexico, Belize or Sout America?
Don't have a whole lot of relatives in these countries. Most friendshauft lives in Alberta!

* Do you have to buy at least 50 boxes of flapper eggs for Easter?
No, but I do remember flapper eggs at Easter!

* Do you have at least 3 Uncles with the same first name?
No, but a lot of doubles.

* Do you spring clean in fall?
I do fall cleaning in fall

* Would you actually die if someone saw you at the LC or would you just be gaunze marshich ashamed?
So does LC stand for liquor counter?

* Do you remember the "bangs debate"?
Can't say I do...never been a problem here.

* When you went to church on Sunday mornings, were you the kid holding someone on your lap or the kid being held?
I'll say neither, if anything I was the kid being held. Advantages of a small family!

* Do the words, Christmas vench, strike terror in your heart?
YES!

* Have you ever cruised a village?
Lol...oba yo!

* Did you share bath water with your siblings because it would run dat sista completely dry to fill the tub 14 times on a Saturday?
Can't recall sharing bath water, but could have been limited to how much was used because the well might run dry!

* Did your parents judge your date by how good a farmer their dad was?
Lol...discussions were definietly had about farming practices...not that it made a big difference as farming did not become our career!

Childlike Faith

Just had to share about Jeziah's prayer time tonight. He often picks unique things to pray for and he comes up with all the thoughts on his own. Our conversation around here lately has been about High Valley performing with Paul Brandt at the CCMA's. I'm assuming that is what triggered this prayer "Thank you Jesus for Paul Brandt. Help him to get home safely to Alberta. Keep him safe when he is traveling. Thank you Jesus for Curtis, help him to get married soon. Keep High Valley safe when they are traveling to Alberta." For those of you that don't know, Curtis is the youngest of the brothers in High Valley , and he's the only single one! I have no clue where that came from, but I just had to smile, and I believe that Jesus was smiling too:)

Random Photos Part 2

The moody sky at Birds Hill

June 09

I love this picture. This was at the last league soccer game at the end of June. It was the 2 MacGregor teams playing against each other and it was raining a good part of the game. These two spectators (Jeziah & Isabella) were either getting wet, or sharing the umbrella when the sun did peek out! They had no clue I took the picture which I think adds to the shot.

Another milestone in our household. Jeziah can FINALLY go to school everyday starting in September! He has been waiting for that day since Kindergarten started!

Jeziah & Isabella cool off with water guns on one of the few hot days we have had so far! June 09

Our first camping trip of the season was the last weekend in June and we went to Birds Hill. We had never been there before, but we were told they had great biking trails. I think we were told wrong! Actually, the paved trail had been ripped up for repairs. This was the weekend that it rained a number of inches from Friday night to Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon we didn't care what the weather was like...we just had to GET OUT of the camper. Maybe another year...

Well, I don't have my next batch of pictures ready...so you may have to wait again...

Random Photos Part 1

Here is the long awaited update! For now I will start with photos starting in spring and work my way towards August!

Raquel & Cate take Flickr for a walk - May 09

Raquel and Taffy at their 4H achievement day in June.

Dexter playing league soccer in St. Claude. Dexter's in the red.

Jeziah played rec soccer in town. Unfortunately for him, 3 out of 5 games got rained out. They ended up extending it another week because of all the cancellations.

Manitoba Prairie Sky

Busy, busy...

It's not that I've been thinking of this blog...in fact I think of it quite often! I wish somehow my thoughts in my head would automatically compute the information to my computer! I did start a "random thought" blog a while back, but that's all old news now. The next 10 days are still looking to be very busy, but after that I have full intentions of catching up with you! First I need to plan for the Little League family bbq, and then there is the concert, which is taking more of my time than I thought it would. Here's hoping all the "advertising" efforts will have paid off...

I tried my hand at journalism...check the Brandon Community News next week to see if I succeeded :) (the picture won't insert where I want it to and I lost my original set up when I copied and pasted, but you get the general idea!)

Special Benefit Concert featuring
High Valley

Saturday, August 8th, 7:30 p.m.
Manitoba Agricultural Museum’s
Newly Covered Grandstand

2 miles south at junction Hwy #1 & #34, Austin, MB
Shuttle is available from parking area to grandstand.

Admission by Donation
All proceeds go to Sharon Isbister Emergency Fund

At a time when Country Music has experienced a complete transformation, "High Valley" is the first band to offer a positive, faith based version of the "New Country" sound, which music critics are calling “Fresh and easy to listen to”. Combining the sounds of Country, Contemporary, and Worship, their music stretches boundaries of age and genre, providing a unique experience for every listener and "Breaking the Borders" and stereotypes that were previously set for "Christian Country Music."
“We always describe ourselves as Dierks Bentley as a trio. It’s that new country kind of vibe,” says Brad Rempel, who along with his brothers Bryan and Curtis comprises High Valley “It’s not as pop as some contemporary country. Our music is a little more organic, a little more acoustic. We grew up singing harmony as a family and in church. There was always harmony and acoustic instruments, so our live show features a mandolin, an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar and three part harmonies.”
Having been influenced by the likes of Dierks Bentley, Blackhawk, Diamond Rio, and Ricky Skaggs, High Valley has opened and shared stages with Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Paul Brandt, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson just to name a few. They also perform at rodeos, schools, camps, fairs, exhibitions, concert halls, and churches.
High Valley’s last album, “Broken Borders,” was named Album of the Year at the 2007 GMA Canada Covenant Awards in the country category while their hit “Back to You” was honoured as Country Song of the Year. High Valley has also been among the nominees for Group of the Year at the Nashville-based Inspirational Country Music Awards.
The siblings have always enjoyed connecting with people and sharing the gospel with a hurting world. “We play quite a few churches, but I’ve always wanted to be able to sing the music that we sing to an unsaved audience, people who haven’t heard the message of Jesus Christ,” says Curtis. “That’s who we want to sing to and that’s the reason we sing.”
“Our goal has always been to show the light of Jesus Christ to the world,” adds Brad. “We want to offer a positive, faith-based version of the new country sound. That’s why we play a lot of mainstream festivals, sharing stages with Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Brad Paisley.”
High Valley’s newest release, self titled “High Valley”, is their debut with Nashville based Centricity Music. Paul Brandt produced two tracks on this CD, "When You Call My Name" (written by Paul Brandt) and "On the Combine" (written by Brad Rempel and Paul Brandt) Although the first single and CMT Music video are slated for release this fall, the release date to Wal-Mart and other retailers is March of 2010. In the meantime, fans can purchase "Advance Release" copies of the 11 song album at their live shows and at http://www.highvalleymusic.com/

Sharon Isbister, of MacGregor, is in desperate need of a liver transplant. Sharon discovered in August of 2008 that she had contracted Hepatitis C, possibly as a result of a blood transfusion given to her as a young girl. Although the exact cause is not known for certain, Sharon was diagnosed with the need for a new liver.
Although Sharon is on a waiting list for a cadaver liver, the goal is to find a suitable match for a liver donation. The criteria includes: the individual must be Sharon’s height of 5’10” or taller, be between the ages of 18-55, and have a compatible blood type.
Because of generous sponsors covering the costs for the evening, all money raised will be put into the trust fund established at the Austin Credit Union branch in MacGregor. Funds raised will help offset the costs for Sharon and her family to travel back and forth to London, Ont., where the liver transplant will eventually take place.
Anyone wishing to donate to the trust fund can make checks payable to the “Sharon Isbister Emergency Fund” and send them to Austin Credit Union, MacGregor Branch, Box 458, MacGregor, MB R0H 0R0. Anyone wishing to be considered as a potential liver donor can call Sharon at 685-2674 for more details.
For more information about this event, please contact Wayne at 685-2873.

Gaither Homecoming!

On Sunday, May 17th we took our kids with us to the Gaither Homecoming at the MTS Center. I had asked them in January if it would be something that would interest them, and they decided to go for it! I had warned them it would be a long sit, and we came prepared with snacks, but they were fantastic!! No complaints all evening. Jeziah really had to fight the urge to fall asleep near the end. It was fun watching them see this performance in person. We have watched and listened to many of the videos for thousands of hours (no exaggeration), and to experience it in person is always extra special. Dexter doesn't show much emotion, but I did catch him tapping his arms during Jesse Dixon...lol...he didn't want to admit it that he was getting into it! Raquel just sits back and takes it all in. Jeziah is totally into it. He kills himself laughing at the jokes, claps with the beat, and soaks it all in. Raquel had asked me before the big night if Lynda Randall would be there. Lynda is one of Raquel's favorites. We were walking the concourse during intermission when we came across Lynda's table and saw she was signing autographs. I asked Raquel if she would like her picture taken with Lynda, and to my surprise she said yes! So we waited our turn and got this special moment...

One of the first things Lynda mentioned was Raquel's hair. I said we should have asked Lynda what kind of product she used for her curls!! Lynda is a very gracious lady.

The new Gaither Vocal Band has 5 members. This was our first time hearing them as a group, they have officially been a group since January. Left to Right is David Phelps, Mark Lowry, Bill Gaither, Wes Hampton, and Michael English. If you ever have a chance to read Michael English's book "Prodigal Son", I would recommend it.

The kiddos hanging out with Ernie Haase from Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. It was almost time for the show to start, and we were still wandering around the concourse. The concourse has TV monitors and it was playing EHSS, and Jeziah says "hey, there's those guys" (He has watched the "Together" video with EHSS & GVB ALOT!), and I said to him "those guys will be here tonight", and he looks at me with a bit of a puzzled look and says "I thought they were fake!" That was just too funny. And just as we finished the conversation, we came across the EHSS table, and all 4 guys were standing behind it. Our little boy was just awe struck. People were taking pictures with them, but our kids were just observing from the distance. I finally convinced Jeziah that he should have his picture taken with Ernie, so we got that done, and then Ernie came around the table to talk to Henry and the other two kids, and realized we were all the same family, so it was his suggestion to take this shot. Which was a good thing because later as I was looking through my pictures during the concert, I accidently deleted the picture of Jeziah and Ernie...I felt SO BAD. Thank goodness that Jeziah is a very forgiving kid, but I was told in no uncertain terms by all three not to delete this shot!

Dexter kept his money secure in his wallet that night, Raquel invested in a t-shirt from EHSS, and Jeziah invested his money in a CD from Mark Lowry, which has played non stop for the past two weeks! I can just see Jeziah being a Mark Lowry some day! It was a great way to spend time as a family on a Sunday night and I hope that the experience will help the kids to find their niche in music.

Life on the farm!

These two joined the family this spring. Flickr (on the left) is a 6 year old gelding, and Taffy (on the right) is a 15 year old mare. They're starting to settle in now and are getting used to us. Raquel is using Taffy as her horse for 4H, and the horse is behaving wonderfully for her.

The heifers were following me where ever I went with the camera. It was pretty cute, but I couldn't capture all 3 of them looking at me. This one was checking me out through the fence!

Somedays we wonder why we "farm"...but I would be limited to wonderful photo opportunities if it weren't for these critters...lol...

92 years young!

On May 2nd we celebrated my grandma's 92nd birthday!

In honor of parents.

Here's a thought to ponder:
No other success in life - not being President, or being wealthy, or going to college, or writing a book, or anything else - comes up to the success of the man or woman who can feel that they have done their duty and that their children and grandchildren rise up and call them blessed.President Theodore Roosevelt

Walk for a cure!

I enjoyed a very refreshing walk outside tonight. The wind was calm, the air was cool, and it was SO quiet! Oh the joys of country living! I have started my walking routine again after taking way too much time off. I was asked if I wanted to participate in a 20K walk for cancer on June 13th. I would really like to try it, but keep thinking "that's 12 miles!" Which would be at least 10 miles more than I walk now! Tonight while I was walking I was thinking of what I had read about this morning:
"God gives us the power to overcome our obstacles, but just as the Israelites were filled with fear and skepticism, we often let difficulties control our lives. When we follow God reagardless of the difficulties, we demonstrate courageous, overcoming faith" (footnote for Deut 1:22 NIV)
"We become fearful and immobile when we focus on the negative aspects of a situation." (footnote for Deut 1:23-40 NIV)
And these thoughts brought me to the verse that Lysa TerKeurst made us memorize "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7

I think I really need to step up to the challenge. I haven't officially given a yes, but am seriously considering it. Anyone else want to join in on the challenge?? Even be a walking partner??

God Speaks

I'm really on a roll with this blogging!! LOL, who knows how long that will happen though!

What I wanted to share today was in regards to my post yesterday. I found the quote that Tressa made "You can dress in fashion without compromising Biblical Principles". I have been reading the "One Year Chronological Bible" and have just finished the book of Numbers. The Israelites are camped outside of the promised land after 39 years of wandering. Here is what I read in the footnotes of my Bible in regards to the end of the book of Numbers:
"The apostle Paul says that the events described in Numbers are examples that warn us and help us avoid the Israelites' mistakes (1 Cor 10:1-12) From their experiences we learn that unbelief is disastrous. We also learn not to long for the sinful pleasures of the past, to avoid complaining, and to stay away from all forms of sexual sin. We must not weaken our biblical beliefs by compromising them with our culture's values. If we choose to let God lead our lives, we should not ignore his message in the book of Numbers." (Life application Study Bible, NIV)

I have highlighted the parts that spoke to me and I thought tied in so well with what I said yesterday. For me it was confirmation!

"What Happens When Women Say YES to God"

So I just spent the last 15 minutes typing up this post to have lost it. Here goes again...

A couple of weekends ago two friends and I got out of our comfort zone and spent part of a weekend in the city attending the Lysa TerKeurst woman's conference at Calvary Temple. We had a lot of fun hanging out! We got our toes done at a cheap spa, and found out you get what you pay for! We used up a gift certificate to Earl's that Henry got for Christmas (he refuses to go there because of the barely dressed waitresses). Did a little shopping and two of us upgraded our purses...lol! After the conference on Friday night, we went to the cheap theater and watched a chick flick. We spent the night at the Sandman Hotel. But the best part was the conference! Our ladies in Sunday School have gone through Lysa's book "What Happens When Womens Say YES to God!" I have also read a book she co authored with Sharon Jaynes called "A Woman's Secret to a Balanced Life". Now I have purchased the book "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" I also receive daily emails from Proverbs 31 ministries, which Lysa is a co founder of. So this was a great priviledge to see her in person! Here are some quotes from my notes that I like:

"When a woman says yes to God, she changes the world" (and if you've heard her amazing God stories, you would totally agree with this)

"God's love for me is so consuming that He can only have my best interests in mind"

"Park your mind, heart, and soul with truth, which will crowd out fears"

As well all know, you come away from these conferences so pumped but then you go home to reality and everything you have learned seems to fall by the wayside. Knowing this, Lysa gave us 4 things to remember and everything else would fall into place. I have now engrained these into my mind.

1) The First Thing - Ask God to be my portion (enough) for TODAY in whatever area my life falls short. Even Jesus asked for DAILY bread. Don't be concerned about what you will need to get through tomorrow, or in the days/weeks ahead, but TODAY.

2) The Next Thing - Do whatever is required of you (daily chores, work, etc) OR what God asks of you.

3) The Most Important Thing - "In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" (Prov 3:6) Represent Christ in EVERYTHING you do.

4) The Last Thing - Thank God for all He has entrusted to you that day. Thanksgiving should be on our lips as we fall asleep.

I hope this can be an encouragement to you as well.

Moms for Modesty

Came across this website while blog surfing Moms for Modesty I believe there is so much truth to it that I wanted to share it. (Thanks Sonya for helping me with the link thing, now I need to know how to add a picture link on the side bar!) A couple of weeks ago when I was at a woman's conference, Tressa Lempky did a spring fashion show. Some of you may remember Tressa from CHVN days. She has been in the modeling business for 31 years and has never compromised her belief on modesty. That truly is amazing. She is speaking on 100 Huntley Street this Friday (May 1st) I believe, on this very topic. Unfortunately I won't be watching it as I don't have T.V. or high speed, but if you have a chance, I would highly recommend it.

The Red Desk

Last summer we went to an auction sale and bought ourselves some projects. We rarely go to auction sales, but this one sounded like fun! All the projects were cheap enough that we could use them for firewood if we were to change our mind! We bought 3 school desks for $7! During spring break, I did touch up painting in the kids rooms and re designed their rooms. The boys got new shelves and we put some order to all their posters, etc. Jeziah is the only one without a desk, and the plan is to buy the boys desks to match their bed, so I didn't want to invest in another desk. Then I got to thinking about these desks taking up space in my garage. I really should have taken a before picture, they weren't the prettiest things on the block! Then Jeziah decided he wanted a red desk...no problem kiddo...your mother is a genius...lol! So I sanded as much of the old paint, water stains, mold, etc. off as I could. Then I dug out a can of Georgian Brick stain left over from my cupboards and Jeziah and I went to work one afternoon. We were both so proud of our accomplishment! Henry evened out the uneven legs, and now Jeziah has his red desk in his room! Hoping I'll find a unique chair for it at a garage sale somewhere...now I need to fix up the other two desks, thinking of using them for night stands in our bedroom. It's fun, but as with all things...takes time!

Manitoba Living...

I have lots of things I could probably post here, but due to lack of extra energy, I will bore you with weather pictures! And after this I may even have a valid excuse, my camera is on its way to Mississauga for repairs. Let's hope this is not a long drawn out warranty issue! Well, I guess I don't really have a valid excuse, I do still own a little pocket camera...but I could always post some pictures from Christmas, Carl & Sara's wedding, Easter...but then again, that would make it look like I was behind...lol...time will tell...

When you get two good ole blizzards at the end of March, you know you could be in for some extra moisture, if it ever decides to melt.

This is our creek in the front yard in it's glory. This was taken in fall of 08.

This is our creek in our front yard in its power! That noisy waterfall is from water running over the bridge, which makes for interesting crossings! As of April 13th, the water is running under the bridge, but under a huge chunk of ice. It will be an interesting mess to clean up when all is said and done. And when is all said and done, I would still rather have a bridge to repair and not everything else included. My heart goes out to those that are experiencing alot stronger currents than this one.

Edmonton

It's Wednesday night and we are in the room early for a change. I took the lap top out for the first time since we left on Sunday, sad I know. Found out it was no problem connecting to high speed...hmmm...maybe I should have thought of this sooner? So we had a good ride out, except we had crummy weather from Saskatoon to North Battleford, as you can see below. But it looks like we're missing all the "warm" weather at home. Today Henry was kind enough to take a taxi to the sale so that we could have the truck. I took the kids to the sale around lunch and Raquel & I headed into Leduc to check out the antique store and a very unique store called "It's a Crock Country Store". After that we headed back to the city and checked out Ikea and LaSenza Girl. By then it was time to head back to the sale to pick up the "boys". The days go by quickly! The big highlight for tonight was supposed to be the rib tips at Montana's. Well we came to find out that the rib tips are being removed from the menu and were not available. So it took us a long time to figure out what we wanted because that was what we'd come for. When we were done our meal, the manager came over and apologized and offered to buy our dessert, so indulged in a mile high mud pie for dessert. Did you know that the mile high mud pie dessert is a whopping $9.79?? I'm beginning to think "vacationing" is ridiculously expensive. Hotels are also way too expensive for what you get! The only advantage of the one we're staying in Edmonton is that it's just been renovated so the room still smells like new carpet! Well, I should get off of here, our rambuncious crew is supposed to go to sleep, and it doesn't seem to be happening. The threat is a nap before the West Edmonton Mall tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 10th

Apparently it's cold outside today! My goal for today is to stay busy inside, and so far it's been no problem! I've managed to get a lot of odd jobs done. I also have a huge pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove and stew simmering in the oven. My intention is to make vegetable soup tomorrow and hopefully share some with others. Next on the agenda is to finish up loose ends from taking down winter decorations and setting up the spring stuff. Then I have a crop and "vacation" to prepare for. Never a dull moment...but I'm enjoying my time. I will leave you with a quote from Corrie Ten Boom that I read this morning. Hopefully it's a challenge to you like it was to me.

"Is prayer your steering wheel or spare tire?"

Happenings

I decided to take a break from facebook and blog surfing, two things that take up a lot of my time! A lot of people give up things during lent season, not sure if everyone always knows why their doing it. I believe the idea is to draw closer to God when you "crave" whatever you gave up. Never actually researched it. For me it's just as much a test to make sure I'm not addicted to wasting time on my computer! I do have to admit, 40 days will be a long time to not check up on everyone else, maybe I'll make more of an effort to do it in person!?! I can't give up the computer totally, but this should save myself many hours in the next number of weeks.
I was thinking that maybe I would journal more on my blog, and try to keep it updated for a change. That doesn't mean I will visit other blogs though:) Otherwise I will stay busy with the usual. Right now I need to clean up the basement, I made a big mess yesterday trying to organize a few more corners. Weeding through the "keepsakes" again, and realizing there are still more that can disappear...trying so hard not to accumulate "stuff". I also need to figure out what I'm doing for food and gifts, etc for my crop next Saturday. Also been wasting time trying to find a decent hotel in Edmonton for the family to stay at in a week and a half. Think I may have figured that out, but still need to book it. Well, I think that's it for today, talk soon.

Winter Fun!

This has been our kids highlight of the winter! Whenever the weather is mild enough, out comes the four wheeler and sleds for hours of entertainment! Here they're hanging out with Jada, Isabella & Hailey.

Nashville, TN

I figured I better finish up with these trip posts before they are too much a part of the past!

The view as we fly away from Nashville.

Downtown Nashville, taken from the pedestrian bridge over the river. I do wish we would have taken more time to take pictures of all the beautiful historic buildings. Some of them had amazing detail! It was getting dark when we were downtown on Sunday, and the traffic was horrid because of a football game, so we made the best of it!

The football stadium where the Tennessee Titans play. We came into the city just as the game finished. We saw thousands of people come over the pedestrian bridge. By the time we got to the pedestrian bridge an hour later, there was only a few drunks making there way over. Titans were the loosers in this game, which was maybe a good thing. The party atmosphere was rather quiet! This stadium sits exactly opposite of the downtown Nashville picture.

Saturday night we spent the evening at the Grand Ole Opry. Normally the Grand Ole Opry performances are next to the Gaylord Opryland Resort, but at Christmas there are other performances happening there, so we got to see the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium, "the mother church of country". The big name for the night was Patty Loveless, and of course you have to wait right until the end to hear her, and she sings 2 songs. Most performers only sing 1 song, and a few get to do 2. The worst is listening to their crazy commercials after every song. They were so lame, but by 10:30 at night it was starting to get funny. We can say we've experienced the Grand Ole Opry, not sure if it would be a must to see if we were in the neighborhood again. For the price of the tickets, we'd just as soon see a Homecoming.

Marty Stuart and his fabulous superaltives! Their outfits and actions were entertainment enough! The guy playing the guitar was hilarious, looked like he'd peed his pants.

The show is about to begin! Just as you see it on T.V.

Ready to go check out downtown Nashville. Next time we would spend our time in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. We decided we had liked that area better last time. But we can say we've been to Nashville:)